5 Important Fashion Tips For College Guys

For a lot of freshmen, college is their first real feeling of freedom. Gone are the days of curfews, mandatory cleaning and any other parental rules, instead being replaced with going to sleep at 8am, eating Count Chocula for dinner, and anything else a late teen’s heart desires. Unfortunately, this freedom can have negative effects on a college student, most importantly in how they dress. Just because you see other students at your University wearing stained sweat pants to class every day doesn’t mean it’s good for you to. Here are some steps on upgrading your style to stand out for your peers, girls, and professors to notice.

1. You Look Like a Slob. Just because your parents never let you go to high school in your pajamas or wear any of those offensive T-shirts doesn’t mean that should be a center-point of your wardrobe. If you roll out of bed and put on what ever sticks to you every day for class, not only are you potentially hurting your chances at making valuable networking connections so valuable for after you graduate, but you are also hindering close to the #1 reason for going to college: to meet girls. Above all else, dressing lazily encourages you to study lazily and act like a slob, instead of just looking like one. Consider this your wake up call.

2. Groom Yourself. Above all, the first step to looking like a Man in college is properly maintain yourself. This should go without saying, but always shower before you leave your dorm room for the day. Part of this is time responsibility- if you know you need to be somewhere in the morning, make sure you go to sleep the night before at the right time, and that you give yourself enough time in the morning to properly get ready. The biggest issue with male hygiene in college is making sure your face is in order. While this is the first time you’ve been able to let your facial hair grow out, your thin whisps of hair aren’t doing you any favors. Don’t try to push for a beard or mustache before your face is ready for it, and if you can actually grow facial hair, make sure you keep it trimmed nicely. Having well groomed facial hair is incredibly important for looking good in college.

3. A Polo A Day Keeps The Sloppy Dress Away. Polos are a great way to easily make your dress more refined without the hassle of full button ups day in and day out. Start working on your wardrobe, adding a few new polos a month. After a semester, you’ll be able to donate most of your T-shirts. Now you’re looking good and being charitable. Warning: Stay far away from popped collars. Nothing can transform you from classy to idiot faster than a flip of the collar.

4. Add Sweaters to Your Dress. Sweatshirts are fine for tailgating or going for that morning jog, but outside that, looking good requires a switch to wearing sweaters. There’s a difference between fashionable sweaters and looking like Mr. Rogers, and it’s pretty easy to spot. Sadly, a lot of college-age guys tend to make this mistake, trying to hard for that vintage look. A good standby, as far as sweaters are concerned, is the Polo style sweater. Essentially a fuzzier and warmer Polo, these are a great mix of casual yet classy. Warning: Use caution when using the turtleneck sweater in your wardrobe. While these are great for certain days and occasions, over use isn’t recommended and will make you look like a pretentious Ayn Rand evangelist. You’ve been warned.

5. Know When to Get Fancy. Above simply knowing how to dress well on a normal day is the skill of knowing when to go the extra mile. A good rule of thumb is to just trust your gut. If your stomach is in knots worried about an event during the day that relates to your performance, whip out the kahkis and a nice button up. Planning on finally asking your lab mate in Biology on a date today? Making an important presentation in your Business Finance class? Worried about final exams? Dressing with just a bit of extra detail, or just a touch nicer than normal can completely change your confidence level. Final exams are especially great for this. All your peers will look like they just rolled out of bed (and they probably did), but your professor will take notice that you look calm, cool, and collected for your exam because of your dress, and impress upon him that you are well prepared for the exam.

Andy Nelson spent his early college years being among the sloppiest dressed college students at Oklahoma University until realizing the value of dressing well. He now works as a content writer for GreatGiftsForMen.com and focuses on writing about male fashion tips.

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